Damaged and the Dragon

by Bijou Hunter

  “Are you threatening my brother’s business?” I asked as Tawny and Raven stood behind me.

  Dickhead looked at the wives of Reapers’ enforcers then back at me. “Your boyfriend is a loser. When you realize that, I’ll still be around.”

  “Whoop-de-fucking-doo,” I said, walking away.

  Raven and Tawny remained outside for a while, eyeballing the cop. I wouldn’t be surprised if they called their men to make loud complaints about a pig hassling them. Ignoring the drama, I was more worried about Dickhead hassling Nick.

  “You okay?” Farah asked while I washed off.

  “Yeah, I just don’t want Dickhead messing with what I have.”

  “Tell Cooper to handle him.”

  “No,” I snapped then softened my tone when I remembered Farah was cooking my niece. “I want Coop to respect me and see me as an adult. I want to run the legal part of the family business. He won’t trust me to do shit if I run to him for help with Dickhead.”

  “Or maybe he’ll trust you more because you knew to ask for help. I know Coop worries about Tucker making dumb decisions and never asking for help. He needs people to handle things, but also to know when they need backup.”

  Under Farah’s steady gaze, I accepted she knew the answers and wouldn’t steer me wrong.

  “I’m sorry I slammed you into the wall that day,” I whispered.

  “It’s okay. You thought I hurt your brother and you’re protective of him.”

  “It was still wrong to hurt you like that,” I said, wrapping her long dark hair behind her ears. “How come you never told him what I did?”

  Farah smiled. “Coop and I had just made up and I didn’t think he’d understand what you did.”

  “I’m sure Coop knows I act like a bitch. It’s a pretty established fact.”

  “I mean he was in the mood to make things up to me and might have gone overboard with how he responded to you. I just didn’t want him to do anything he’d regret.”

  Leaning against the walls, I sighed. “He acted like an idiot a lot when you two first met. I don’t think he liked feeling powerless with someone. Back then, I didn’t know what the hell his problem was, but I get it now. Nick has the power to chew me up and shit me out.”

  “It gets easier, Bailey. Loving Cooper scared me and I thought I should push him away. I’d never had a life like he offered or someone who could give me so much. Nick might feel the same way with you. It’s why he runs towards you and away at the same time.”

  Biting my lip, I confessed, “I feel the urge to trap Nick and make him stay with me. I know what’s best for him and I want to force him to submit. In fact, stopping myself from controlling him takes up most of my day. I’m not that different from Coop, so you’re lucky he never locked you up somewhere and made you worship him.”

  Farah laughed. “It’s not like he didn’t make threats to do just that. He found the patience to wait for me and you’ll do the same for Nick.”

  Hugging Farah, I soaked in her warmth. “You’re a great sister-in-law. Better than I could have ever hoped for. I thought I hit the jackpot with Maddy then you came along. How did I get so lucky?”

  Farah took my hand as we walked to the living room. “You must have been very good in a past life.”

  Joining the others for cake, we found Raven and Tawny had finished intimidating Dickhead. On the couch, Lark whispered with Maddy about baby things.

  Soon, Lark opened presents, oohing and awing at the car seat and stroller. With my gift, Lark only frowned.

  “I don’t get it. What do I do with a picture of Winona?”

  “I’m giving you my assistant. She’s great with babies and very organized.”

  Raven frowned. “You can’t gift a person. Winnie isn’t your slave.”

  “I know, fuckwit,” I growled then smiled at Lark as if her sister wasn’t pissing me off. “Winnie has trouble going to class with me because it’s full of people. Hell, most of the time I have nothing for her to do. I think she’d like taking care of the house, dogs, and especially you. She’s not afraid of Aaron either.”

  Lark pulled me into a hug. “This is a great gift. Winona and I will have lots of fun together. Plus, Aaron won’t have to scramble so much handling work and the house. He’ll have more time to pay attention to me.”

  “Are you sure you like my gift? I also have a non-person gift, but Winnie was the big surprise.”

  “I need to stay off my feet and your gift will help me do that.”

  Raven walked over and ruffled my hair. “Your slave gift is actually pretty sweet. I like when you go Hallmark on the world.”

  “Shut up, bitch,” I said, hugging her. “Save your compliments for Lark. It’s her special day. Though feel free to praise me later.”

  Raven acted like another wrestling match might ensue. Instead, she kissed her sister’s forehead and we returned to the cake. My friends rarely looked as happy as they did together that day. Love suited them all. For the first time, I knew how they felt.

  Chapter Thirty ~ Nick

  Bailey refused to watch me fight, but she agreed to hang out in Axel’s office until I was done. I imagined her soft skin under my fingertips and warm breath against my neck. All I needed to do was get through a single fight then I could return to her arms.

  My opponent was a guy from New Hampton that I recognized from my freshman math class. Back then, he only attended a few days a week and always looked wasted. Based on his new thicker build, I assumed he added steroids to his personal pharmacy.

  Even with his increased size, I wasn’t worried. My bulk came from training. I also had experience, so I knew winning was about more than size. Besides, I felt the luxury of not caring whether I won or lost. I had nothing to prove.

  As Dragon, I was nearly unbeatable. The hottest girl in town loved all of me. Not only the winner in the Thunderdome, but the loser scared of thunderstorms. Bailey kissed my scars and soothed my fears. She even ignored my need to shower so often and clean the apartment more than necessary. Bailey loved me in a way no one had ever loved me before.

  Wanting to intimidate me, my opponent growled before the fight began. I knew he was worried about losing. A guy with his drug habits needed money and winning paid more. If he thought growling might give him an edge, he really needed to cut down on the dope.

  Staring into his hard eyes, I knew I would win. Yet the moment my fist smashed into his jaw, I also knew I was done fighting. The need to be Dragon felt temporary while my love for Bailey was eternal. Even as I dodged the punches and followed with my own, I lost the fire I normally enjoyed in a fight. Now the violence only reminded me of the suffering of my childhood. I wanted to break free of the pain.

  The druggie dropped to the ground and didn’t get back up. Looking at my hands, I never wanted to see them bloodied again. No more wounds or violence. I was done.

  Rushing out of the cage, I pushed past everyone to reach Axel’s office where I found Bailey watching TV on the couch. She jumped up when I entered. Her eyes were filled with worry over the bleeding wound over my eye. Ignoring her questioning gaze, I cupped her face.

  “I love you and I’m ready to move into your apartment. All my life I slept like shit until I shared a bed with you. Everything feels different when I’m with you and I need that kind of different in my life. I’m not going to fight anymore.”

  “I love you too. A million times yes at moving in together.”

  Lowering my lips to hers, I remembered they were bloody. I tried to pull away until Bailey wrapped her hands around my neck and tugged me to her. She kissed me like we were the only two people in the world.

  “Are you sure?” Bailey asked as I wiped my blood from her lips.

  “I don’t need it anymore. I have you.”

  “Yes, you do, Nick. I promise.”

  “Let me clean up and we’ll go out to celebrate.”

  Bailey’s eyes literally glowed with joy as I left her. I hurried to wash off the blood and get dressed.r />
  In the past, I panicked at the very suggestion of giving up fighting. Now, I felt as if the choice was always so simple. Relief flooded me when I accepted I’d never walk into the cage again.

  Chapter Thirty One ~ Bailey

  Sawyer was the worst baby in the history of babies. Yet my mom and pop refused to admit this fact. I always figured they were simply exhausted by the time she was born and didn’t even try anymore. This would explain why she sucked.

  True, my little sister improved greatly after Farah practiced her mothering skills on Sawyer. The kid said thank you and please. She no longer stabbed people with her fork if they wanted a bite of her food. She even stopped rolling her eyes whenever I made one of my big announcements. Less evil was still evil though.

  “Sawyer’s not evil,” Nick insisted as we dressed after a very long shower.

  “Don’t be fooled. I’ve caught her watching me sleep plenty of times. That’s crazy killer kid shit.”

  “I watch you sleep,” he said, wrapping his arms around me as his crotch said hello to my butt.

  “That’s because you’re hoping I’ll wake up and bang you. Sawyer is watching me sleep because she’s plotting evil.”

  “Maybe she had a bad dream and wants you to comfort her.”

  “Poor dumb Nick,” I sighed. “Sawyer is a bad dream. Besides, why stare at me? Why not frighten my parents with her Children of the Damned act?”

  Grinning, Nick kissed my cheek then walked to the dresser where his clothes were stacked.

  “You can use my dresser.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you afraid to commit too much?”

  Nick flashed his wrist at me then followed with a smile. “Your dresser is a mess. I want to organize it before I add my clothes. I’ll move the rest of my stuff in this weekend.”

  “I know Coop offered to get you a new job,” I said, immediately regretting it.

  Nick’s shoulders tensed, but he only muttered, “Yeah.”

  “I didn’t send him.”

  “I know that too,” Nick said, glancing at me. “You worry about me and he worries about you. I’m not used to having that kind of interest in my life. Feels weird, but I’m getting used to it. This is my new way of living.”

  Smiling, I joined him at the dresser. “You’ll get used to having people care about you. All your life, you were alone, but you’re part of a family now. You have the crew too. You won’t ever be alone again. One day you might regret this choice you’ve made.”

  Nick grinned at my fake worried expression. “I want you naked one more time before we leave.”

  “Good,” I said, pulling my shirt off. “Babysitting is going to suck.”

  “It was your idea,” he reminded me while his fingers explored my back.

  “I want us to practice being parents, so we’ll remember why we should wait for a very long time before doing it for real.”

  Nick only smiled before his lips sucked on my neck. After a short roll around the bed, we hurried to dress and reach the house before someone came looking for us. Maddy and Tucker had already dropped off Scarlet and made a run for it. When we arrived, the baby was crawling around the living room.

  “You’ll need to put in the car seat,” Mom reminded us.

  “Easy peasy.”

  Ten minutes later, I was ready to pull my gun on the car seat. “Child safety is for assholes!” I yelled, fighting with the belt.

  “Want me to do it?” Nick asked while bouncing Scarlet in his arms.

  Glancing back at the happy baby then at the devil child staring at my man, I nodded. “This is too hard. I don’t think we should ever have kids.”

  “If Tucker can manage, we can do it.”

  Sawyer laughed too loudly and I glared at her while taking Scarlet.

  “Stay away from him.”

  Sawyer squinted her eyes at me. “I’m stealing him away. We’ll run off and get married and make many babies,” she hissed. When I looked outraged, she grinned. “You’re stupid.”

  I rolled my eyes before focusing on Nick’s ass as he leaned into the car to figure out the car seat. Sawyer stepped closer and looked at where I was staring.

  “I like him because he’s nice and handsome and doesn’t think you’re dumb. Those are rare things in a guy. Although I think he’s lying about the dumb thing.”

  “Shut up, Sawyer.”

  “No.”

  Shrugging, I decided arguing with an evil child was bound to lead to me losing an argument with an evil child. Meanwhile, Scarlet chewed on my hair.

  “Done,” Nick announced and reached for the baby. “Let’s go before she gets cranky.”

  Sawyer climbed into the car and belted herself in. “Can we go to Chuck E Cheese?”

  “No,” I said, getting in the car. “We’re going to a normal restaurant and playing family. You’re my fake daughter. Try not to embarrass me.”

  I didn’t dare look back at Sawyer, but I sensed she was glaring at me. Nick joined us in the SUV and sighed.

  “What was the point of this again?”

  “I can’t remember. Let’s just eat and dump these stink machines back with their parents.”

  Scarlet babbled wildly the whole ride to the restaurant. She was perfect while we ordered. The little angel waited until the food arrived to lose her fucking mind.

  “She’s teething,” Sawyer said helpfully while eating her chicken sandwich. “Give her something to chew on.”

  “Like what?”

  “Your ass,” Sawyer snickered. “How the hell would I know? I’m seven. Stop treating me like a grownup.”

  “Fine, you’re grounded. Now, go to your room.”

  My little sister flipped me off then returned to eating. Nick sat next to me, bouncing a pissed Scarlet. He dipped his finger in a glass of soda then into her mouth. Scarlet sucked at it for nearly a minute then started up again.

  “I’ll take her outside while you eat,” Nick announced, standing up.

  Doing a poor attempt at faking concern, I said, “I should do it.”

  Rolling his eyes at my bullshit, Nick walked outside and left me with the demon child.

  “Nick is nice.”

  “Yeah. Too nice. I’ll probably destroy him with my bitchiness.”

  “Probably.”

  “You’re supposed to say something supportive like, ‘No, Bailey, your love will protect him.’”

  “I’m not saying that. I don’t believe in lying.”

  “Bullshit. On the way here, you told Nick you were the best ballerina in your class.”

  “So?”

  “So you don’t take a dance class.”

  “So?”

  “That’s lying, dumbass.”

  “Not really. If I was in a class, I’d be the best.”

  “There’s something wrong with you.”

  “Not really.”

  Deciding to ignore her, I returned to eating until the guilt got to me. “I should stay with Scarlet while Nick eats.”

  “Yeah. He doesn’t want kids and you’re making it worse. Even for you, that’s dumb.”

  “I’m going to kick your ass one day.”

  “I doubt it.”

  Leaving a smiling Sawyer behind, I hurried outside to where Nick sat in the car with a now quiet Scarlet.

  “You should go eat,” I said, reaching for the baby.

  “Why do you argue with Sawyer so much?” he asked, ignoring my attempts to take Scarlet.

  “She’s an evil freak.”

  “She’s a child. You treat her like she’s your equal then complain how immature she is.”

  Hands on my hips, I frowned. “So it’s my fault she sucks?”

  “No, it’s your fault she drives you nuts. Treat her like a little kid and she won’t bother you so much.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Isn’t it? I watch how everyone else treats Sawyer. I also notice how she is with them. Farah expects Sawyer to behave like a seven year old and she get
s along fine with her.”

  “Farah, huh?”

  Nick’s gaze met mine and he smiled. “I shouldn’t like when you’re jealous, but it’s pretty hot.”

  “I was your first choice, right?”

  “My only choice.”

  Smiling, I relaxed against the car until Nick frowned at me. “What?”

  “She’s seven, Bailey. Leaving a child in a restaurant isn’t right.”

  “No one will hurt her. She’s Sawyer Fucking Johansson. Even if someone grabbed her, she’s a biter. I’ve seen her bite the damn dogs.”

  “That’s not the point. She shouldn’t need to protect herself. I bet you were tough at her age, but that didn’t mean you wanted to be alone in a busy restaurant.”

  Glancing back at where I ditched my little sister, I nodded. “Yeah, I would hate that.”

  “We’ll both go back in. Scarlet is feeling better since I rubbed that numbing crap on her gums.”

  My niece sat on Nick’s hip like it was the most comfortable place in the world. With her face dry and cheeks only slightly flushed, she really was a gorgeous child. I imagined the kids I would have one day with Nick.

  “You’ll make a great daddy,” I said, holding the door open for him.

  “Not yet, right?”

  “Oh, hell, right. I like sleeping late.”

  His eyes nervous, Nick still smiled. He was great with Scarlet and Sawyer. One day, he’d be great with our kids. Not yet. Thank goodness, not yet.

  “Are you going to marry my sister?” Sawyer asked when we returned.

  “Yes,” Nick said then added, “When we’re ready.”

  Smiling like he’d announced something I already knew, I was freaking out inside. Mostly, I couldn’t wait to call the girls to tell them how I had Nick hooked and got to keep him forever.

  Next to me, Scarlet sat in a high chair, sucking on a chunk of watermelon. She showed it to me then smiled. When I cooed over her, Scarlet looked at me like I was amazing. I couldn’t deny loving such adoration.

  “Not yet,” Nick said softly when I stared at the baby for too long.

  “I know. I really do. I’m just happy.”

  Nick gave me a killer smile and I saw him finally relax. Life was moving too fast for him already and I saw on his gorgeous face how he was dealing with the pressure of so many changes. Yet for the rest of evening, he smiled easily at me and the girls like he didn’t have a care in the world.